In 2014, we said the following on the Francis Pontificate:
The current situation of ecclesiastical politics might perhaps be better understood by those who have a grasp of three important concepts in Hispanic (Spanish and Spanish-American) political tradition: Caudillismo, an ancient and powerful political concept, system, and idea that is deeply ingrained in the Hispanic mind and experience, regardless of the theoretical political system in place; Caciquismo, a very peculiar and mostly Latin American version of Caudillismo; and the Argentine hazy political sub-concept of Caudillismo and Caciquismo known as Peronismo, which transformed the highly successful Argentine Republic of the early 20th century into what it is today.
This week, we were sent a link to a video of Argentine tyrant Juan Domingo Perón in an interview conducted in July 1973, 46 years ago. This is what Perón says in the video:
Also Mao [Zedong] says this: "The first thing that a man must discern when he leads is to establish clearly who are his friends and who are his enemies." And to dedicate himself -- it's not Mao who says this, I say it: "To the friend, everything. To the enemy, not even justice!" [Laughter in the background.] Because in these things one cannot have dualities.
This attitude is all very familiar to whoever watches the Vatican closely in the present. At that moment in history, Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ was very close to the Peronist movement.
